[Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection ofJacobBreeding Stock"

[Cheryl Terrano]

 Our first Jacobs had a mix of markings, from clean legs to lots of leg flash. I opted for a ram of Fieldwood lines b/c they were completely unrelated to the ewe flock. Back in 2000, my finding unrelated lines back 5+ generations in the east was challenging, to say the least. All but one of our 5 ewes had muzzle patches and only 2 had clean legs. Our ram had muzzle pigment and clean legs and when bred to our flashy legged girls, produced nicely marked knees and ankles on the lambs.

Our flock contains a wide variety of markings and I am glad about that. I avoid specifically breeding for 1-2 traits alone b/c I don't want all of my flock to look the same. Again, conservation vs. improvement breeding comes to mind. Personally, I don't prefer nor do I breed for a specific look because I like to assess each individual sheep on its own merits.  I must confess, however, I am sucker for a friendly ewe despite her aesthetic appearance.  As the say in the horse world, 'pretty is as pretty does'.  And besides, looks aren't everything. It may be what sells but if it can't consistently produce the same, I must ask 'why bother'? I am glad there are many points being made on the many facets of this wonderful breed.

As for freckles, I don't like to see this trait in my rams, especially at their first shearing. I have found freckling to be much more prevalent in my sheep that have lots of leg flash. It is usually something that shows up much later in life but it does make for the most lovely fleece! They are frequently the first fleeces sold and provide such a beautiful, diverse color palette without having to dye the wool. One other point to be made is to consider the ticking gene, which is different from freckling.

Maybe I am one of those obstinate folks...I guess that would be depend on who you ask. :)  lol

Great discussion everyone!

 


Cheryl in WV 
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http://paintedrockfarm.blogspot.com 
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WHEN EVERYTHING THAT CAN BE SHAKEN IS SHAKEN, THE ANCHOR THAT HOLDS IS THE WISDOM OF THE CROSS. (Jason Upton, Key of David Ministries, from the CD 1200 ft below sea level). 

If you want to see God's power at work, you must get out of the church and into the world. Watch the extravagant lengths which God will go to reveal Himself to people who don't know Him. Then you will learn how truly awesome our God is. (Author Unknown)

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Peg Bostwick <peg at sweetgrass-jacobs.com>
To: 'Neal Grose' <nlgrose at yadtel.net>; 'Carl Fosbrink' <fourhornfarm at frontier.com>; spotted_sheep <spotted_sheep at bluefrog.com>; 'peggy' <mvanbeek7 at gmail.com>
Cc: jacob-list <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Sent: Mon, Aug 15, 2011 8:53 am
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection	ofJacobBreeding	Stock"



I appreciate the notion that obstinate breeders are good for the breed!
 
Also agree with you & Carl about there being no absolute link between color on legs and freckling.   As it happens, all of the first several sheep we got had light legs and muzzles (Pinecroft, Fieldwood, and in between).    So I thought that was pretty normal, and it is still fine with me.  Maizie did not like colored legs and her sheep  had light legs and muzzles mostly, too.   When I started seeing black muzzles and knees,  I thought of them as an attractive “frill”.     For awhile, it seemed that most people were demanding these marks.  Now things seem to be going a bit the other way.
 
We now have a bit of both in our flock, including ewes with a lot of leg color, and some with none.  We avoid excessive freckling, but have a couple of ewes that have gotten quite freckled as they are older, and a very freckled lamb shows up now and then.   Although my most freckled lamb last year happened to have a ton of leg color, our most freckled one every had clean white legs and muzzle.   
 
I’m glad there is someone out there to pitch for every “type” we’ve got.   
 

Peg Bostwick
peg at sweetgrass-jacobs.com
517-626-6981

 

From: jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com [mailto:jacob-list-bounces at jacobsheep.com] On Behalf Of Neal Grose
Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 4:13 PM
To: Carl Fosbrink; spotted_sheep at bluefrog.com; peggy
Cc: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection ofJacobBreeding Stock"

 


The tidbit implying that repeatedly breeding for leg markings causing freckling bothered me too. It simply is not the case in our 20+ years of Jacob breeding consistently FOR leg markings. All-in-all, it was a minor point and easily disproven. What I have observed is that obstinate so-n-soes that breed these animals will do pretty much as they please. Thank God.

 

Neal Grose

 


 


From: Carl Fosbrink 

Sent: Friday, August 12, 2011 12:29 PM

To: spotted_sheep at bluefrog.com ; peggy 

Cc: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 

Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection ofJacobBreeding Stock"


 


        There are a lot of things in the guidebook that will be helpful to our newcomers, but I must say I am very disappointed that most of the sheep in it had white legs and the ones with black muzzles, knee spots and black feet had negative comments with them about freckling and other things. 

      While white legs and pigmented muzzles are perfectly acceptable I prefer the black muzzles, knee and hock spots and black feet.  

      That is what the early imports had and my flock is mostly marked that way because I like those markings.  I like them because no other country has Jacobs with the knee and hock spots and they make our American Jacob different along with it's primitive characteristics.  

     All four of my current breeding rams have the leg markings and all are freckle free. My ewes are freckle free also with the exception of some of the spots that occur with age and do not carry into the fleece. It is not difficult to breed Jacobs with leg markings and no freckling. It is just a matter of selection.

      I would hate to see the new comers interpret the guide to breed away from the leg markings when they were what the early imports that came through the Chicago Zoo and from South Africa had and we are the only country breeding Jacobs with the leg markings. 

      I don't know how much longer I will be able to continue to raise Jacobs, but I hope there will be others that will step forward and preserve the Jacobs with the leg markings and black muzzles.


----- Original Message ----- 

From: spotted_sheep at bluefrog.com 

To: peggy 

Cc: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com 

Sent: Monday, August 08, 2011 12:30 PM

Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection of JacobBreeding Stock"

 

I also noticed the caption under it saying something about the two cover boy's markings being "ideal", when both were missing nose patches (dark pigmented, but no actual spot)...Not really "ideal" in my mind, although totally acceptable... It made me think of British Jacobs actually.

Marie

--- mvanbeek7 at gmail.com wrote:

From: "peggy" <mvanbeek7 at gmail.com>
To: <jacob-list at jacobsheep.com>
Subject: [Jacob-list] New Booklet "Guide to Selection of Jacob Breeding Stock"
Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2011 09:23:35 -0400

I just received my copy of the “Guide” and right off the bat here we are putting a four horn ewe and a four horn ram on the front cover.  No two horns.  So anyone looking at that would certainly think that four horn is the only “Jacob” because if two horn was just as important then they also would be on the front cover.  I don’t care if I stick my neck out on this one but come on didn’t anyone think???
 
The front cover should have been divided into four pictures one of each.   I thought we discussed this at the AGM in NJ how important two horn Jacobs are. I guess not and the message stinks.
 
Peg van Beek

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